Chapter 4

Hailpaw stalked into the medicine cat's den, wondering what Greymask had been talking about. And how if he did not become the medicine cat apprentice, he would die along with his family, and if Hailpaw knew one thing, it was that a true Clan cat protected the others first and themselves second, so he would protect his family.

"Hailpaw, is that you?" A voice called; no doubt it was Quickclaw, the ShadowClan medicine cat. The young tom padded towards the apprentice, his russet brown fur was scruffy, as if he hadn't cleaned it and his amber eyes were wild. "Greymask told you to come here didn't he?" Quickclaw meowed urgently. Hailpaw nodded, his eyes scanning the cat.

"I will tell you everything." The medicine cat assured Hailpaw. Quickclaw glanced out of the entrance of the den, the moon was near the edge of the sky, it was close to dawn. "The first thing you should know," Said Quickclaw, tearing his eyes away from the moon, "is that there are more cats like you. Cats with…abilities." he murmured. Hailpaw cocked his head to the side.

"You cannot feel, Hailpaw. You don't feel love, friendship, hatred or even happiness. You don't have remorse. This…ability gives you potential, and in the right paws, you could become great. Greater and more dangerous than any cat." Quickclaw explained, he sighed when he saw Hailpaw's look of confusion, "I have asked you to become a medicine cat because it is how you'll be able to meet the others. The other medicine cats I mean. They have abilities too. Even I have one." Quickclaw seemed quite proud of this fact.

"My ability is to feel no pain. I could run all day but my paws would never get sore, I could break my leg and I wouldn't care. I could have greencough but I would never notice. I am untouchable to hurt." Quickclaw mewed, proving his point by slicing his paw open on a jagged rock on the floor.

Blood dripped in scarlet drops as Quickclaw held out his paw, a ragged gash was in the middle of his paw pad, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"You see? It doesn't hurt me." Quickclaw hissed. Hailpaw nodded slowly. Hailpaw was different from other cats, but not different from the medicine cats. "You will train as a medicine cat, but also a warrior. I will train you to fight better than any cat." Quickclaw announced, and then the young tom's amber eyes narrowed.

"Unless you don't want to train with me, then you would have to answer to Fell, and I don't think any cat would want to answer to her." Quickclaw growled. Hailpaw sat down quickly and looked at the medicine cat, then nodded quickly. He had no idea what was happening, but as soon as he had heard the name Fell, he had immediately been compelled to agree to do what Quickclaw was asking of him.

"So you'll train with me? Good. I am sorry I have not told you very much about what's happening, Hailpaw, but tomorrow night we will meet with the other medicine cats and they will explain everything. Now get to your den. I will tell Birdstar of your decision to join me tomorrow morning." And with that, Quickclaw flicked his tail as if to dismiss the apprentice. And Hailpaw hurried away, knowing he would not be able to sleep.

Rainpaw purred as he looked down at his bloody paws. A brilliant kill as ever, he thought to himself, looking back up at Eaglewing's cold, dead body. ShadowClan won't know what hit them!

The RiverClan apprentice padded through ShadowClan's territory, acting as if it were his own, rolling around in the ground and running around freely. Knowing he would leave no scent or hairs. He suddenly came to realise his paws were making faint red paw prints in the ground, he shrugged it off. They could not track him, but just to be safe, he licked his paws clean, tasting the sweet, sweet taste of blood on his tongue.

As he grew bored of running around ShadowClan's territory, and grew sleepy, he padded softly over the border to RiverClan, relishing in the familiar scents. As he bounded toward camp, he heard a twitch in the bushes.

Rainpaw tensed at the sound and swung around to face whatever was inside there. Not even relaxing when he saw the familiar grey face of his mentor emerge from it.

"Rainpaw what are you doing out this late? I would've thought you'd have finished off Eagelwing by now." Drawled the slight tom, his blue eyes narrowed. Rainpaw glared at the medicine cat.

"I was enjoying myself down there. Besides, it's none of your business what I get up to. Is it?" Rainpaw hissed, Greymask cocked his head, his eyes still calm and his body relaxed, Rainpaw had always been unnerved by his calm demeanour.

"It is exactly my business if you get our activities found out. Especially by ShadowClan. Those brutes would bring them out in the open the first chance they got. And we do not want that. Do we?" He mewed, his eyes locking with Rainpaw's.

"Are you trying to imply I could get us caught? I must remind you that I have no scent and cannot shed fur, meaning I could never leave any evidence that we are behind the kill." The apprentice growled.

"Don't think I don't know of your strange ways, Rainpaw. You are a demented creature and I would not hesitate in killing you if I had the chance. Now come on, the Clan may notice our absence soon if we do not return swiftly." Greymask murmured, and with that, the two toms slunk back to the RiverClan camp. Both stuck in their own thoughts, and both contemplating ways they could kill the other with no consequences.